Learning the Rules
by wolfmusic218
Summary: Carter gives Reese a hand and the game changes.        This is for jessa4865. I would never had the courage to post without her. No matter what you believe, you're an amazing person.


Carter walked slowly through John's apartment, taking it in. Finch had rented it for him while he was recuperating from his run-in with Snow and John had ended up just staying. He'd been here for a while, but there still wasn't much to look at. No mementos, no knick-knacks, nothing that would give away any of John's past. Just a lot of computers that were conveniently dark with her arrival. She'd been here before, but never without Finch being present. For some reason, the thought made her a little nervous, like their chaperone was gone. She couldn't help the smile that thought brought to her face.

She'd joined them completely a few weeks ago, but still knew next to nothing about either of the men.

Harold Finch, she knew, was the brains. He seemed more comfortable with his computers than with people. He could be a little retentive, but she got the feeling his heart was in the right place for the most part, as shown by his concern when John was shot. Still, there were trust issues on both sides of that coin.

Reese…John…was…what was he? He was definitely the brawn of the duo, but she also knew he was smart, deceptively so. There was something dangerous about him, yes, but a few times she'd seen a hint of vulnerability in those amazing blue eyes of his. She wanted to see it again. Without asking herself why, she knew she wanted to see it directed at _her_. She knew nothing about the man, but that she was drawn to him. Something deep told her she could trust him. She'd never had such an immediate feeling about a person before. Analyzing that would just open up a can of worms she didn't think she was ready for.

Her study of his spartan apartment was interrupted when John came to the bathroom door and leaned against the jam.

"Detective?"

She smiled at the formality. Turning towards him, her mouth went dry when she saw him. His hair was wet and mussed from the towel wrapped around his neck. He was shirtless, barefoot, and the button of his pants was undone, like he'd just thrown them on before coming out to talk to her. She mentally threw cold water on herself. "Mr. Reese."

He lowered his head and gave her a slightly crooked grin. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to impose but this is getting ridiculous; I'm left-handed." He held up his left hand. The hand that was wrapped in a cast to his elbow. "I can shoot a gun with this thing, but I can't seem to shave."

"Maybe you shouldn't let the bad guys get the better of your gun hand next time."

She watched him roll his eyes at her and smile. "I'll keep that in mind, Carter."

She moved in closer to him and noticed the red dotting his cheek. And his chin. And the side of his mouth.

"Good lord, what have you done to yourself?" Without thinking, she wiped her thumb over the blood on his chin. Reese hissed, causing her to bark out a laugh. "Really? You're up and kicking ass a week after being shot in the gut and you're sensitive about a shaving nick?"

"I'm a sensitive guy, detective."

Her smile was slow as she looked up at him. "I have no doubt about that."

He held her eyes a little too long for her comfort. She felt like he was trying to read her, like he was trying to tell her something. She swore he never blinked when he looked at her.

She broke the contact and slid past him into the bathroom. "Why don't you have an electric razor?"

"Finch is old-school, I guess. This is what he left me and it was never an issue before this; I'm getting itchy." He ran his good hand over the scruff and scratched his cheek.

"We can't have that, can we? Come on, hand me that shave cream and hop up on the counter."

She could do this. Really. Nothing to get worked up over. She was just giving him a hand in his time of need. Yeah, right.

Carter busied herself with filling the sink with warm water and tried to ignore John as he sat on the counter, leaning into the mirror as he waited. "You've done this before, right?"

"Sure, on my legs." She shrugged. "How different could it be?" She watched him out of the corner of her eye and tried not to laugh as his eyes first got wide and then, realizing he was being played, narrowed.

"Not nice, detective."

"OK, how 'bout we lose the detective, huh? I'm about to come at you with a razor blade. Maybe we should be on a first name basis?" She sprayed some shaving gel onto her hand and rubbed it between them.

"Not nice….Jos."

It sounded intimate coming from him. Very few people called her that; she liked it when he did.

Carter moved between his knees and reached up to cover his jaw with the shaving cream when she realized the arrangement was not going to work. He seemed to realize it at the same time.

"I think we have the logistics of this wrong, det….Jos…."

She smiled and shifted out of the way just as he started to slip off the counter only to end up face to chest in the tight confines of the half-bathroom. His arm wrapped around her waist to steady her, pulling her close against him. Her hands landed squarely on his chest. Neither moved. Neither really wanted to. She could hear his quick intake of breath as she shifted against him, looking up at him. His eyes were closed. A few seconds passed and his eyes opened on a slow blink as he looked down at her.

"If you wanted to dance, all you had to do was ask." His voice was rough, deep, strained.

She decided to cut him a little slack. "Maybe after we clean you up a little." Was that her voice sounding so breathless? She huffed out a laugh.

Reese turned her slightly and leaned her back against the counter, his hands on her hips, leaving just enough space between them to be considered safe.

She felt the warm air of his breath against her ear as he leaned in; "I'll hold you to that."

She swallowed, hard. This is a dangerous game we are playing, was her only thought.

Carter let out a yelp of surprise as she felt his hands tighten on her hips and lift her to the counter.

"I think this should work much better, don't you?" The gleam in his eye and the arch of his eyebrow told her he knew exactly what he was doing.

They were now eye to eye. He just stared at her for a moment, his hands not leaving her hips. "So…."

She cocked her head at him. "So…?"

He looked down at his bare chest and back up at her. She swore she watched his eyes grow a shade darker. "So, you said you were going to clean me up. Maybe you should start with this mess?"

"Hmm. I don't know. I kind of like this look on you. A little here…" she touched her finger to the center of his chest and ran it down a few inches, his eyes following the movement. He caught on just as she scooped some of the shaving cream from his chest and deposited it on his nose. "A little here…." She let out a small giggle.

Reese couldn't help the short laugh that escaped. "I should have seen that coming. Out of practice, I guess. And Carter?"

"Hmm?" She couldn't resist. She trailed her finger in circles through the shaving cream on his chest, drawing random patterns, trying not to think of what her movements were doing to him. She wanted to believe, by his quick intake of breath, that it _was_ affecting him, maybe as much as touching him was affecting her. She could feel his breath on her fingers so she knew he was watching her.

When Reese didn't say anything right away, she looked up at him. The look in his eyes took her breath. It had been so long since she'd had a man look at her the way John was looking at her at that moment.

He leaned in slowly, keeping his eyes on hers.

She could feel it in her toes, he was going to kiss her. And she wanted him to. She wanted to feel those lips slide over hers. Claim hers.

Carter felt his hands grip her a little tighter, his right thumb grazing across the skin between her pants and top. She was sure he could feel the goosebumps he caused there. The closer he got, the shorter her breath got. When he got close enough to kiss her, his face diverted and he rubbed his nose, shaving cream and all, against her cheek.

"The giggle, Carter? I really like the giggle." She felt his smile against her cheek, but she still couldn't move. He was so close…so tempting. He was still warm from his shower and smelled amazing. A combination she was having trouble resisting.

She put her hands on his arms, holding him in place, and pressed her cheek against his softly. He stood stock-still. She knew she'd shocked him, that he never expected things to escalate from the tease to this….whatever _this_ was. She turned her face into him, her lips grazing his cheek, moving closer to where she wanted them.

Reese's grip tightened and he pulled her gently towards him until her legs were bracketing his hips and she was flush against him. She could feel him hard against her and the thought that she had caused it made her ache for him.

"Jesus, Jos, what are we doing? This is a dangerous game…." Unknowingly echoing her thoughts from earlier, Reese slid his hands around her, pulling her into a hug. His face slid down until his lips met the spot where her neck and shoulder came together. "You smell so good." He kissed her softly there.

Carter ran her hands up his back to grip his shoulders, and squeezed gently, one hand slipping into the short hair at the back of his head. "This stopped being a game a little while ago, John. I'm pretty sure you know that."

He lifted his head and just looked at her. She could see the conflict running through his eyes. His mouth opened and closed twice, but he couldn't get the words out. She couldn't help it, she didn't want him to feel like she was forcing anything on him he wasn't ready for so she wrapped both arms around him and held him.

Reese leaned back from her and put his good hand against her jaw, running his thumb over her cheek in slow circles. "You are making me feel things, Jocelyn, that I have not felt in…." he shook his head and gave her a small smile "…a very, very long time. You need to know that."

She put her hand over his wrist, just rested it there. "Do you think that scares me?"

He shrugged and gave her an embarrassed smirk, looking down at their bodies pressed together. Reese tried to pull away, but she crossed her ankles behind his thighs to keep him where he was.

She ducked her head to peer at his downcast face. "Does it scare you?"

His head popped up. "My feelings don't scare me. You don't scare me, Jos. Hurting you, that scares me."

Carter smiled, reached up and grasped Reese's face, bringing her forehead to his. "One day you'll tell me why _you_ think you'll hurt me when I don't believe you would, not on purpose. But just so you know, I'm pretty sure I can handle myself. There is one thing, though…"

Reese pulled his face from her hands, concern written in his eyes. "Tell me."

A corner of Carter's mouth quirked up and she ran her hands over his arms. "I don't know how to tell you this…."

She heard his quick intake of breath. "Jos….don't….."

"…but if you don't kiss me in the next ten seconds, really kiss me, like you mean it, I will draw my service weapon and shoot you."

He just stared at her. And then he smiled the most real smile she'd ever seen on his face.

"Jos?" He brought his face so close to hers she could feel his breath on her mouth. Her eyes closed without her permission.

"Yeah, John?" She felt his lips brush quickly against hers, like a feather touch.

"I will say this only once, so pay attention: Every time I kiss you, now or in the very near future, and I plan on it happening often, I will always mean it. Do not ever doubt that."

And then his lips were on hers. They were everything she had imagined them to be. Soft, demanding, hot.

She wasn't sure which of them groaned first, and she didn't care. All she knew, all she felt, was him. His hands seemed to be everywhere all at once. She felt his arms tighten around her, at the same time his hand dove into her hair to angle her mouth for better access.

When his tongue demanded entrance, she knew exactly who moaned when she felt his smile against her mouth.

Cocky bastard.

She wasn't going to let him have the last word. She used her locked ankles to draw them even closer. He was pressed so tightly against her it nearly didn't matter that they were both still fully dressed; she could feel every inch of him. This time, it was John who groaned until his slow thrust hit her in just the right spot.

God, she wanted this man.

When she felt his teeth on her throat, her head went back, hitting the mirror.

She heard his murmured "Sorry" at the same time his hand slide to the back of her head to protect her. His hand curled into her hair and gently pulled her towards him, breaking the kiss and allowing his cheek to brush against hers.

"Jos…." The whisper in her ear was so soft she barely heard him.

She nipped his earlobe with her lips and made him start. "You gonna get mushy on me here, John?" Her hands landed on his waist, running slowly up and down his ribs.

Both of Reese's arms wrapped low on Carter's hips and he lifted her off the counter. The shock of the movement made her arms fly around him and hold on tight…and made her giggle again.

"God Jos, do you have any idea what that sound does to me?" He made his way, with her clinging to him, out to the living room. He turned when he reached the couch and sat with Carter in his lap facing him. Her knees pressed into the couch around his thighs.

She watched him watch her. He traced her with his eyes and she felt it like he had his hands on her. His hands still gripped her hips, but they weren't idle for long. He leaned up and kissed her again, slowly, his good hand slipping up and down her back, occasionally using his nails to send shivers through her.

She could feel him underneath him, slowly pushing up into her. She wanted to feel him with no barriers. Wanted to feel him lose his precious control.

Nipping at his mouth, she smiled against his lips. "So, why the couch? You don't have a bed?"

He pulled the back of her shirt from her pants and slid his hand up her back, causing her to arch back and down on his lap.

"God, I'm going to embarrass myself if you keep doing that." His hand slowed its movements and slid forward, around her ribs, his thumb grazing just under her breast.

"Mmm, yeah, I can relate to that, John." She closed her eyes against the sensation. "So…the bed?"

"I have one. I didn't want to be presumptuous."

Her eyes popped open only to find him with a smirk on his face. She was going to wipe that shit right off.

She leaned down and kissed him softly, taking a nip of his bottom lip, and sliding her tongue in to tangle with his.

Without warning, her hand moved down and cupped him over his jeans, causing him to gasp into her mouth. "Shit."

"This feel like I'm going to say no, John? I'll make this very clear, like you did for me. I want you. I want you naked, hard, and in me. I want to make you forget every woman you've ever been with. I'd like to make your eyes roll back in your head. If you feel like you can return the favor when I'm done with you, I will not argue. If you'd like us to work out our frustrations at the same time, I'm all for that. Afterwards, if you want me to stay so we can figure out where this is going, you will probably be able to convince me. But right now? Right now, I want you to take me to that bed, strip off your clothes, which I'd be more than happy to help with, and don't fight me when I fuck you within an inch of your life. Nod if you understand."

Reese couldn't help himself; he barked out a laugh and nodded his head quickly. "Jos, if I wasn't there before, I just fell in love with you."

That shut her up.

He pushed up from the couch with her still wrapped around him. He ran his hand down her hair and cupped the back of her head, kissing her hard. "For the record, I always return the favor. Often."

She gripped him with her legs around his waist and kissed his chest. "Not sure I believe you."

As he carried her through the door of his bedroom, he smiled and kissed her again. "You will, Carter, you will."


End file.
